Monday, January 26, 2009

Gay men likely to be highly sexually experienced before they are willing to 'come out' to obtain HPV vaccine

Gay men will have a high level of sexual experience before they are willing to disclose their sexuality to healthcare providers so they can obtain a vaccine for human papilloma virus, an Australian study published in the online edition of Sexually Transmitted Infections has shown. This could mean that many gay men would already have been infected with human papilloma virus (HPV) before they were willing to come forward for vaccination, meaning that its protective effect for these individuals would, at best, be extremely limited.

Studies are currently evaluating the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines in men (and people with HIV).

Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, wanted to see how acceptable gay men would find a vaccine for human papilloma virus (assuming the results of trials were favourable). Furthermore, they wanted to gain an impression of how useful the vaccine would be at preventing infection with human papilloma virus.